The Hope City Board met in the City Hall Boardroom on Tuesday (5-7). There was a meeting at 6pm of the steering committee discussing projects to present to be funded by a proposed tax.  . During this meeting there was a presentation of the costs and alterations of each project and discussion of how to make the project work. Dan Beronek with McClellan Engineers said the majority want a recreation center.

A soccer complex is projected to cost $3.4 million.  Proposed improvements to Northside Park were estimated at $1.3 million.  Upgrades to the Kelly Kiwanis complex at Fair Park  was estimated to be $3.4 million.  Further improvements to Fair Park were estimated at $3.86 million, with a proposed Recreation Center expected to cost $23 million.

City Manager JR Wilson said there are a lot of ways to trim figures. The end result wouldn’t have everything hoped for. The Board would need to decide what to bring before the voters. He also stated there were a lot of ways to get money. The question was asked how many years would the Master Plan be relevant. Beronek responded for at least ten if not longer

A new fire station is expected to cost $3.1 million. Director Steve Montgomery said he wanted to limit the duration of the tax to 8 to 10 years. He noted 5 years ago the Recreation Center was being discussed and so it needed to be a priority with the next priority being Northside.

During this discussion on city improvements, Mayor Don Still talked about Train Day having become a local event and without the ball tournament scheduled for that day the restaurants were wondering where the people were.

There was a discussion about where a Recreation Center should be located as buying land would add it to the cost. There was also a discussion as to what projects should be prioritized and what things could be either cut or deferred. One suggestion was to have six swimming pool lanes instead of eight. Another was to cut out the basketball court and track inside the Center.

After the talks about the proposed tax and improvements, the board moved into the regular meeting.

First up, the board discussed a proposed new fire department.  Mayor Still stated there has been a need for a new one for the last 20 years. A motion was made and passed to move forward with the new fire station and the preliminary numbers.

The next item on the agenda was the approval of the Master Plan. With some discussion about whether an extra meeting was needed the Board approved the Master Plan.

Chief Kim Tomlin asked for permission to apply for the STEP Grant. This grant addresses impaired or distracted driving and speeding. A motion was approved allowing the police department to apply for a STEP grant.  Chief Tomlin also made the Board aware of the continuation of the STOP (Stop Violence against Women) Grant. The question was asked which organizations the police department worked with. It was noted the department works with the domestic violence center and the Children’s Center. The city has many cases to deal with and more officers are needed.

An Aeronautics 80/20 Grant for the Airport was approved by the Board. This grant allows the city to construct a water line at airport to fight fires.

The next item was the removal of Amber Murr as a signee for City Checks and the addition of Chief Tomlin. The board had a brief executive session to discuss personnel.

The City has been awarded a $500,000 wastewater grant. This grant needed to be approved by the Board. There was a motion to approve the grant which passed.  This will leave at $715,000 the amount needed to complete the work required.

During Citizens Requests, Marsha White suggested doing improvements as the can be done and the importance of addressing the existing parks.

Anna Powell of the Hempstead County Economic Development Corporation commended the Board for their work with different grants and talked about the new health partnership for Southwestern Arkansas.

The meeting adjourned.